Alright, Enrico, I think I understand. Thanks for teaching me Italian history. It's 'manus manum lavat' how the Romans used to say.

Looks like the Crimean war really caused a lot of strife in the aftermath, possibly including WW1.

What I also learned today is that during the Crimean war, cigarettes were introduced to the Western world. Since cigarettes are undoubtedly today's enemy #1, one could argue that the Crimean war caused more harm and damage to human life than any other war in history.

While the Crimean War may have introduced cigarettes to the West, tobacco use in Europe dates back to its introduction from America, so we cant blame the Turks for that. I would suggest alcohol might be a more destructive vice than tobacco - at least smokers mostly kill themselves, but drunks often kill other people, and man has been distilling whatever he can get hold of to make alcohol since forever!

Nice thought Jon, but wrong. Second hand smoke is almost as dangerous, poisonous and cancerogenic as the primary inhalant (this is especially true for children and asthmatics).It's not just a nuissance. Also you will still find a lot more smokers than people with an alcohol addiction these days...

So if there are any smokers out there who read this line: Try to quit and buy a box of toy soldiers a day instead. The price is about the same :-)

Never mind tobacco smoke... firing weapons and being encased in clouds of gun smoke are the perfume of a battlefield. Causing larger than 1/72nd lifesive "boogers/bogies/snot" which delicately removed by a selected finger nail in a moments peace, when taking cover from enemy fire behind a barricade trench, helped reduces ones blood pressure.

Now able to breathe a deep breath and more oxygen into the bloodstream, its up, dash forward 10 yards and down....en avant mes braves.